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CNN International: Biden Speaks At Ceremony Marking 80th Anniversary Of D-Day; Biden: Ukraine Has Been Invaded By A "Tyrant"; Biden: "We Will Not Walk Away" From Ukraine. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired June 06, 2024 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Distinguished guests, the 46th President of the United States of America, Joseph R. Biden Jr.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The hour had nearly come, Monday, June 5, 1944, the evil federalist Third Reich was devastated the world. Nazi Germany had subjugated once free nations of Europe through brutal force, lies and millions of Jews murdered in the Holocaust, millions of others killed by bombs, bullets, bloody warfare, Hitler, and those within thought democracies were weak, that the future belongs to dictators. Here, the coast of Normandy, the battle between freedom and tyranny would be joined. Here on that June morning, the testing was at hand.

President Macron, Mrs. Macron, Secretary Austin, Secretary Blinken, distinguished guests, most of all, our honored Veterans who met that test of the ages -- a test of ages to that moment 80 years ago, 80 years ago today. On behalf of the American people and as Commander in Chief, it's the highest honor to be able to salute you here in Normandy once more. All of you, God love you.

Winston Churchill called what happened here quote, "the greatest, most complicated operation ever, and of growth." After years of planning, Operation Overlord was ready to launch just as soon as the weather turned across a choppy into English Channel. The Supreme Commander of the allies, Dwight D. Eisenhower, waited, the largest first ever of its kind built by 12 nations, men, guns, planes, naval craft of every description waited, the world captive and free waited. Finally, Eisenhower's forecasters said there was a window in the weather. It would open briefly on Tuesday the sixth of June. The general weighed the options and gave the order.

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At dawn, the allies strike. The great crusade to free Europe from tyranny would begin. That night, General Eisenhower drove to the English town of Newbury to visit paratroopers with the 101st Airborne. There were men from all over America. It was estimated that 80 percent of them would be killed within hours. That was the estimate. But, they were brave. They're resolute and they were ready. One soldier told General Eisenhower quote, "Don't worry, sir. The 101st is on the job. Everything will be taken care of." That's what he said. And because of their courage and the resolve, it was the courage and resolve of their allies, it was taken care of.

From the sea and sky, nearly 160,000 allied troops descended on Normandy. Many stated the obvious, never came home. Many survived that longest day, kept on fighting for months until victory was finally won. And a few notable Band of Brothers are heroes today. Kenneth Smith is here. On that day under heavy artillery fire, he operated a rangefinder and radar on the first American ship to arrive at Normandy's coast, providing direct gunfire support for the rangers scaling the cliffs, a point to hawk on their daring mission to take out the German batteries.

Bob Gibson is here. He landed on Utah Beach about 10 hours after the invasion began, bullets flying everywhere, tracers lighting up the sky. Bob drove an M4 tractor with an aircraft gun mounted on top, providing critical protection for the infantry against the German air force. On that day and for many days after, he continued.

Ben Miller is here, a medic with the 82nd Airborne. At 3 a.m. on June 6, he and 13 other medics flew over the channel in a glider. His wings were ripped off by giant poles that the Germans very halfway in the ground to stop them from landing. They crashed but they survived, and they did their duty, dragging injured soldiers to safety, treating wounds, saving lives while the battle raged. Every soldier who stormed the beach, who dropped by parachute or landed by glider, every sailor who manned the thousands of ships and landing crap. Every aviator would destroy German-controlled airfields, bridges and railroads, all, all were backed by other brave Americans, including hundreds of thousands of people of color, and women who courageously served despite unjust limitation on what they could do for their nation.

Lewis Brown is here, part of the Red Ball Express, a truck convoy made up of most African American drivers. They landed in Normandy in the wake of D-Day. They rushed supplies to the rapidly advancing frontlines. Woody Woodhouse is here, a member of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen who flew over 15,000 sorties during the war. Margery Stone is here. She enlisted in the women's branch the Naval Reserve, became an aircraft mechanic. Spent the war keeping American planes and pilots in the air.

Theirs has always been the story of America, just walked the rows of the cemeteries, nearly 10,000 heroes buried side by side, officers and enlisted, immigrants and native born, different races, different faiths, but all Americans, all served with honor when America and the world needed the most.

Men is back home, did their part as well. From coast to coast, America has found countless ways to pitch in. They understood our democracy is only as strong as all of us make it together.

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The men who fought here became heroes, not because they're the strongest or toughest or were fiercest, although they were, but because they're given an audacious mission knowing, every one of them knew the probability of dying was real. But, they did it anyway. They knew beyond any doubt there are things that are worth fighting and dying for. Freedom is worth it. Democracy is worth it. America is worth it. The world is worth it, then, now and always.

The war in Europe didn't end for another 11 months. But here, the tide turned in our favor. Here, we proved the forces of liberty are stronger than the forces of conquest. Here, we proved that the ideals of our democracy are stronger than any army or combination of armies in the entire world. We proved something else here as well, the unbreakable unity of the allies.

Here with us are men who served alongside the Americans that day, wearing different flags in their arms, but fighting with the same courage for the same purpose. What the allies did together eight years ago far surpassed anything we could have done on our own. It was a powerful illustration of how alliances, real alliances make us stronger, a lesson that I pray we, Americans, never forget. Together, we won the war. We rebuilt Europe, including our former enemies. It was an investment in what became shared and a prosperous future.

We established NATO, the greatest military allies in the history of the world. And over time, you got it. It is. And over time, we brought more nations into NATO, the NATO alliance, including the newest members, Finland and Sweden. Today, NATO stands at 32 countries strong, and NATO is more united than ever and even more prepared to keep the peace, deter aggression and defend freedom all around the world. America has invested in our alliances and forged new ones, not simply out of altruism, but out of our own self-interest as well. America's unique ability to bring countries together is an undeniable source of our strength and our power. Isolationism was not the answer eight years ago and is not the answer today.

We know the dark forces that these heroes fought against 80 years ago. They never fade. Aggression and greed, the desire to dominate and control, to change borders by force, these are perennial. The struggle between a dictatorship and freedom is unending. Here, we see one stark example. Ukraine has been invaded by a tyrant, then on domination. Ukrainians are fighting with extraordinary courage, suffering great losses, but never backing down. They've been inflicted in the Russian aggression. They've suffered tremendous losses, Russia. The numbers are staggering, 350,000 Russian troops dead or wounded. Nearly one million people have left Russia because they can no longer see a future in Russia.

The United States and NATO and a coalition of more than 50 countries standing strong with Ukraine. We will not walk away, because if we do, Ukraine will be subjugated and will not end there. Ukraine's neighbors will be threatened. All of Europe will be threatened. And make no mistake, the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine, to see if we let this illegal aggression go unchecked.

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We cannot let that happen. To surrender to bullies, to bog down to dictators, they are simply unthinkable. We're ready to do that. It means maybe forgetting what happened here in these hallowed beaches. Make no mistake, we will not bow down. We will not forget.

Let me end with this. History tells us freedom is not free. If you want to know the price of freedom, come here to Normandy, come to Normandy and look, go to the other cemeteries in Europe, where our fallen heroes rest, go back home to Arlington Cemetery. Tomorrow, I'll pay respects at Pointe du Hoc, go there as well. And remember, the price of unchecked tyrannies, the blood of the young and the brave, in their generation, their hour of trial, the allied forces of D-Day did their duty. Now, the question for us is, in our hour of trial, will we do ours?

We're living at a time when democracy had more risk across the world than a point since the end of the World War II since these beaches were stormed in 1944. Now, we have to ask ourself, will we stand against tyranny, against evil, against crushing brutality of the iron fist? We stand for freedom. We defend democracy. We stand together. My answer is yes and only can be yes.

We're not far off from the time and the last living voices. Those who fought and bled on D-Day will no longer be with us. So, we have a special obligation. We cannot let what happened here be lost in the silence for the years to come. We must remember it, must honor it, and live it. We must remember the fact that they were heroes here that day, does not absolve us from what we have to do today. Democracy is never guaranteed. Every generation must preserve it, defend it, and fight for it. That's the test of the ages.

In memory of those who fought here, died here, literally saved the world here, let us be worthy of their sacrifice. Let us be the generation that when history is written about our time in 10, 20, 30, 50, 80 years from now, it will be said, when the moment came, we met the moment. We stood strong. Our alliances were made stronger. We saved democracy in our time as well.

Thank you very much, and may God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) in honor of the veterans gathered with us today and those commemorated at this hallow ground, (inaudible).

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Well, you were just listening to the U.S. President Joe Biden there and this commemoration. As we continue to watch the program, that continues here, and of course reiterating a commitment to freedom. Let's watch and listen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When a sailor retires, it is traditional that a younger service member read the watch. Today, we want to read the watch for all World War II Veterans here today, both behind us and all around us. 80 years ago, these sailors stood the watch. While some of us were in our bunks at night, these soldiers stood the watch. While some of us were in school, learning our trade, Marines, Airmen and Coasties stood the watch. Yes. Even before some of us were born into this world, the men behind me and their brothers and sisters who lay before me stood the watch.

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In those years when the storm clouds of war were seen brewing on the horizon of history, they stood the watch. Many times they would cast an eye ashore and see family standing there, needing guidance and help, needing that hands to hold in those hard times. But still, they stood the watch. They stood the watch 80 years ago. They stood the watch so that we, our families, and our fellow countrymen and women can sleep soundly and safety each and every night knowing that these Veterans stood the watch.

Today, we are here to say World War II Veterans, the watch stands relieved, relieved by those you have trained, guided and led. American World War II Veterans, you stand relieved. We have the watch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Distinguished guests, please rise, if you are able, as we salute those memorialized here at Normandy American Cemetery, and remain standing for the playing of (inaudible), and the departure of the official party.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

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WHITFIELD: Well, they somber, and both a somber and beautiful tribute, as you see there, French President Macron, who was reaching over and shaking hands. You saw the exiting of the U.S. President Biden there along with the First Lady. They are in Normandy to pay tribute to the thousands of allied forces killed, some 4,426 allied troops who died during this Operation Overlord and 2,501 Americans who were killed.

We've got our reporters who are dotted across the map, also watching this beautiful tribute. You heard the President of the United States saying what the allies did 80 years ago far surpassed what we could have done on our own.

Joining me right now, Nic Robertson in London, Max Foster at Buckingham Palace. But, let's begin with Melissa Bell there in France on the water. Melissa, talk to us more about -- I mean, this was a somber -- it's an incredible contrast, is it not, both somber and beautiful tribute?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was an extraordinary tribute to listen to, from here, one of the ducks that was as crucial as it was and allowing the allies to win or to turn the tide of the war, as we just heard President Biden say, on that fateful day 80 years ago. This was one of those cases where the men stood the walk. I am just going to show you what we can see from here beyond the coast. This is Arromanches (Gold Beach), where so many of the British servicemen landed on that day.

But, I just want to show you, Fredricka, further out to see the remnants of that artificial port that was built, 570 hectares that were built in the first few weeks after D-Day to allow the resupply of the men that were moving further and further inland. But, it was because it took several weeks for that artificial port to be built, an extraordinary logistical feat that, again, required the coordination of so many different armies and commands off the coast of occupied Normandy until it could be built.

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It was these ducts that Eisenhower has credited for being one of the most important pieces of equipment that were created by the Americans in World War II, because they allowed the allies in those first few days, once the men had moved onshore, to bring the equipment, the weapons. They would fetch them five to six times on ducts like these. This is an American one that actually was used in World War II from the ships. They would then roll up onto the beach, and once up there, roll along straight to the frontlines to resupply the men as they move their lines forward.

And I think that is what's been at the heart of so much -- so many of the ceremonies here, has been that reminder of the coordination, the logistics, because of course, whilst wars are won, thanks to the bravery of men, they're also one because of the logistical resupplies that allow them then to move forward. And that's what's been remembered in so much of what we've heard today, the bravery but also the extraordinary operation, that was Operation Overlord, in its ambition, and ultimately in its success, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Melissa, even from your vantage point, are you able to convey to us those who have come to Normandy for this tribute? Yes, on stage, we saw with the presidents of France and the U.S. there, and we saw these Veterans who were there, many of whom are 100 or near 100 or over 100-years-old. But, in totality, they represent barely one percent of this some 16 million, at least American troops that served in World War II. Who are some of the people who have come to pay honor and homage?

BELL: Well, what we've seen, we've had the great opportunity of meeting some of these Veterans that you speak of, Fredricka, the youngest are 96, and these are men who, when they fought were 16 and had to lie about their ages to be able to come over to Europe and fight, the oldest 103, 104, 105. And we met them the American Veterans as they came off, especially chartered planes earlier this week, with a remarkable spring in their step, some of them navigating with difficulty, the steps on the way down, but with all the emotion of what they'd seen a lifetime ago, and bring it with them, of course, their memories of what they saw that day, because it would have been whether they were 18, 19, 20, completely transformative. What they witnessed here was extraordinary heroism, but also extraordinary loss.

So, we have a couple of hundred of these Veterans, the last living ones that are with us today here on these coasts, but an extraordinary variety of people who've come out beyond them. Perhaps I can just show you, Fredricka, on the shore, you can see all across these shores, and this is just one of the beaches. As I said, Gold Beach. Omaha is further down that way, are lined with people who've come out, some of them dressed in period costume and the fatigues at the time, others just out with their families. And again, an extraordinary amount of goodwill and -- goodwill and optimism and thankfulness being expressed to those Veterans who were able to make it here in person today.

WHITFIELD: And Melissa, can I just ask you quickly, just in case we lose the signal, the platform in which you're on, I mean, this amphibious unit. You were in the water and now you're on the beach. You've got people. You've got law enforcement, I imagine, our military on horseback. Quickly describe what you're on right now.

BELL: This is one of those (inaudible). And Fredricka, f I can just (inaudible) he is driving it. It looks off great here in the out (inaudible), 80-years-old and still going strong. The hardest part is of course ensuring his ability into the water and come back. But, these are vehicles that are looked after with a great deal of love. And they come out here every year, again, to pay their tribute. There are fewer and fewer of the men that were here, but (inaudible), still a great deal of the vehicles, both amphibious and on land, and this coast is calling with them today that allowed Operation Overlord to be the success that they want.

WHITFIELD: Thank you, Melissa, incredible, and on a unit like that or a similar -- experiencing a similar entry from water to land. You just saw moments ago live pictures of actor, producer Tom Hanks. There you see Steven Spielberg, both of them responsible for the movie "Saving Private Ryan", if many of you recall, that was what that movie was about, about the entry there at Normandy.

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You saw them shaking hands with those American Veterans many of whom, their lives, were being profiled in that incredible epic film, and you see there are people who are clamoring for the opportunity to meet and talk with these gentlemen who have lived, what incredible journeys, lived their lives with the legacy of this World War II, and many would go on with the Korean War as well.

Nic Robertson also with this and Max Foster. I can't forget the two of you, gentlemen. Max, let me go to you first, because King Charles and Queen Camilla, they took part, and there is Tom Hanks again. Actually, I don't know if this is -- OK. We're still looking at the live pictures there. You see him there. So, Max, give me an idea of how King Charles and Camilla -- this is their first public event, right, for King Charles of this caliber since being diagnosed with cancer. Talk to me about their tribute to these extraordinary armed servicemen and women of today and of late.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So, you're seeing different tributes on the different beaches, depending on where the Canadians, Americans and British landed. So, earlier, President Macron and King Charles led the tributes at a new memorial on Gold Beach, which is where the British landed, and there hadn't been a memorial there before. It's only just been built. So, it was a big moment for the British Veterans, at least, who were there.

I think a couple of things that were very poignant there, the fact that you consider that a lot of these Veterans are around 100-years- old. So, the only Veterans left are the ones who were teenagers when they hit the shore there. And it's extraordinary to think that some of them were as young as 16 and they had to lie about their age to actually serve. And then, you have the modern references, and Charles referred to them saying, we recalled -- we recall the lesson that comes to us again and again across the decades. Three nations must stand together to oppose tyranny. And I thought that was interesting when you then heard President Biden talking about tyranny currently invading Ukraine.

So, making that tie from Hitler's Germany to what Russia is doing in Ukraine right now, which is very strong symbolism, very bold on this occasion, but something that certainly receives claps amongst the Veterans, because I spoke to a veteran earlier on today and I spoke to him about what it was all for. And he said, he just couldn't understand why world leaders were still going to war when everyone knows what happened on D-Day and how much suffering there was and what they tried to prevent in future.

So, there is celebration of the heroism and the lives lost, really, in the name of their countries, but also some concern that the lessons haven't been properly learned.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. We heard from President Biden there, underscoring and really making the parallels of 80 years ago and today, saying we must stand against tyranny and stand for freedom together, and separately, saying every generation must defend liberty.

Nic Robertson, to you, 80 years from -- on this day, from D-Day, with fewer and fewer of these surviving Veterans in attendance and those who were there, whether they were leaning on their walkers, I mean, how -- regardless of how difficult it was going to be, they were going to stand for that tribute.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: And they did. And you can see the looks clearly in their eyes as they stood up as some of them were awarded the Legion D'Honneur, the knight of France, a knighthood in France, given to them by the President of France. They had -- these Veterans had the President of France, the President of the United States standing in front of them, and it was almost as if these soldiers, these Veteran soldiers were on duty again. It was an effort to stand, but there they were standing, clear-eyed, having that honor bestowed upon them, but their reason for being there, many of them have said was to remember their friends who died there, their sacrifice not be forgotten and not be lost.

And to your point about what President Biden was saying that the cost of unchecked tyranny is the blood of the young and the brave, and they were the young and the brave, and they came to sacrifice and some survived for exactly that. So, you really got that sense that they were on duty again, a mission to stand up and receive that tribute and receive that honor, and be part of that message, passing it forward, passing it forward their message to future generations, wars don't work, whether they're in Ukraine.

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Another veteran earlier today spoke about the war in the Middle East and said that why haven't people learned their lessons. And of course there was President Biden's unspecified message for Donald Trump, who is obviously running for the presidency and who would push you by his own admission a much more isolationist United States that will perhaps break bonds with NATO and break these decades of alliances. And he said that isolation didn't work 80 years ago and it won't work now. So, I think that an unsaid message also by those Veterans who still commemorate those they fought beside, be they French, be they Polish, the British, the Canadians, the Americans, who were all along that beach in Normandy 80 years ago today. That alliance gave them strength and that's what they exhibited today.

WHITFIELD: And to that point, Nic, I wonder too when hearing the President say, together, we won the war and rebuilt Europe. I almost feel like there was an audible sound of relief or even assurance. And I wonder, globally or especially within Europe, when other allies hear President Biden say that and then to hear, I believe she was a seawoman, who said pointing to the Veterans who are on stage, saying you World War II Veterans stand relieved. We have the watch. I wonder if that also brought a sense of relief to some European allies who have been very concerned, given you mentioned the former President and the demands on retreating from or the threat of retreating from NATO, if there were some relief that came with and reassurances came with hearing of the current President's words and the next generation.

ROBERTSON: And I think from that officer who was giving the speech, that was an incredible moment I felt --

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

ROBERTSON: -- too that you've got the sense it's OK. We've got it now.

WHITFIELD: We got it.

ROBERTSON: And I think that the sense among European leaders will be, we have -- across the nations of the European Union, there are elections going on this weekend, more than 320 million people eligible to vote, massive elections, and the right-wing populist parties are doing better than ever, and this, of course, was the essence of Nazism (ph) and the concerns about where that goes if it's unchecked real today. So, will they be the leaders in Europe be relieved to hear that kind of language? It's always what people say, isn't it? It's more than words. We need to see the actions.

They will be hoping that when the Americans get to vote in November that they vote for a President that will continue to support the alliance, not just the military alliance against the President Putin, but that economic alliance, the global infrastructures, the geopolitical stability that followed on from World War II because of the horrors of World War II built out of the ashes of World War II, a nation Germany that had gone to war with all these allies, yet embraced by and afterwards rebuilt as all of Europe was to a better economic future that stands with the United States today, shares all those values. There is going to be the hope that this is the future that American voters choose.

It seems like a remote -- it seems remote that the U.S. elections can have so much consequence in Europe, but they will. And frankly, people are holding their breath because they don't know what the outcome will be and what it would mean to have a sincerely isolationist United States that was willing to break the bonds that have benefited Europe and the United States.

WHITFIELD: All right. Beautifully done. Nic Robertson, Max Foster, and of course, our Melissa Bell, who is also with us on the water, thanks to all of you. Appreciate it. We'll have much more of our special coverage.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. Another recap of our top story. 80 years after the largest amphibious military operation in history, world leaders are gathering there in Normandy, France, to commemorate the D-Day invasion that marked a pivotal turning point in World War II. The U.S. and French presidents along with both first ladies are there. President Joe Biden just wrapped up a speech a short time ago where he said the lessons from eight decades ago still apply today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: We proved something else here as well, the unbreakable unity of the allies. Here with us are men who served alongside the Americans that day, wearing different flags in their arms, but fighting with the same courage for the same purpose. What the allies did together 80 years ago far surpassed anything we could have done on our own. It was a powerful illustration of our alliances. Real alliances make us stronger, a lesson that I pray we Americans never forget.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: King Charles and Queen Camilla also taking part in the commemorations. Earlier, King Charles had a similar message for the world, urging Western allies to recall lessons that come to us again and again.

My next guest will provide us with some historical perspective on the D-Day invasion. Marc Favreau is editor of "A People's History of World War II", and author of "Attacked! Pearl Harbor and the Day War Came to America". He joins me right now from New York. Great to see you.

MARC FAVREAU, EDITOR, "A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF WORLD WAR II", & AUTHOR AND HISTORIAN: Thanks, Fredricka. It's great to be here.

WHITFIELD: Well, congratulations on your books and --

FAVREAU: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: -- thank you because you're helping to reiterate and teach sometimes, for the first time, a lot of people who don't, who are so far removed from this part of our history. So, thank you so much. So, these American Veterans who are present at Normandy, they're 100- years-old. They're just barely 100 or they're over 100. So, what do you believe their reflections are today? What this day meant? What do you think they were feeling? FAVREAU: Well, first of all, I find it so moving to see them in person in Normandy. They, to me, are these kind of like elder statesman of American history.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

FAVREAU: They also provide this living bridge between past and present. It's very easy to think that these things happened so long ago. But, they are a physical reminder that history is not always in the rearview mirror. There are these strong, strong connections between past and present, as the President pointed out in his speech. I think what they must be reflecting on today, and obviously I can't speak for them --

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

FAVREAU: -- is that it's not just that they fought or who they fought. It's why they fought. And the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, was the beginning of an 11-month effort to destroy the Nazi armies, to defeat Adolf Hitler. But, when Hitler died, fascism did not die with him. And it has reappeared, shape shifted across the decades since then, and it's come back with a vengeance in 2024.

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So, I hope, I think that many of them are reflecting on that. Certainly, many Americans are reflecting on that. When I hear that wonderful speech, we have the watch, that beautiful speech.

WHITFIELD: Oh my Gosh. That was powerful.

FAVREAU: It occurred to me that --

WHITFIELD: Wow.

FAVREAU: -- that does not only apply to today's military forces. It applies to all Americans, anyone who cares about democracy, because the threat to democracy in 2024 is real. The resurgence of a right- wing populism in the United States and in all the Western democracies is real. And I think that that bridge between past and present is the kind of canvas on which we should be thinking about the lessons of June 6, 1944.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. It was very meaningful and powerful. We have the watch. And then the President too also reiterate how it's important that fighting for freedom is every generation's responsibility. But, she certainly the Navy SEAL woman, really set the tone on that. And when you look at these men who are there, and aren't we also grateful that they were able to make that journey and be there and be thanked personally and be honored and have an opportunity to honor their fellow allied forces, to think that these men were just 19. My son is 19 and in college right now. My dad was drafted just after high school to serve in World War II. And I cannot imagine how any of these men felt ready or even understood with real clarity what was about to happen, what they were about to embark on. I mean, share with me, as you've had an opportunity to speak with so

many who experienced this firsthand, what was these young men's mindset? What was their readiness? What was the lack of preparedness?

FAVREAU: First of all, I have a 20-year-old and a 22-year-old that I think about this all the time --

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

FAVREAU: -- that as far as the D-Day invasion goes, they may well have been on the older side, the bulk of the American forces that crossed the channel on June 6. I think there was a really amazing set of interviews done by Alan Lomax right after Pearl Harbor in 1941, man on the street interviews, which I think comes close to capturing what most young Americans must have been thinking. And I think they felt an incredible sense of unity and purpose. I know that sounds a little corny today. But, I think the attack on America on December 7, 1941, the American struggle in North Africa, Italy, and then on June 6, 1944, I think brought out a really exceptional sense of unity among American troops.

I think, as the war went on, that sense of why we fight probably transitioned, we know, from one have kind of a belief in democracy and a certain motivating ideology to this, what we see in shows that were extremely well done and very accurate, like Band of Brothers, or Saving Private Ryan, it turned inward, which is why it's so moving to see these men on the stage. It became about who you were sitting next to. It became about the person in the foxhole with you. So, I think it moved from this sort of broader sense of why we fight to a much more intimate sense of who are my brothers and who am I fighting with, and what can I do for them.

WHITFIELD: You touched on this earlier. You talk about the rise of antisemitism, the rise of authoritarianism. We're in it right now. I mean, these men who -- and women who gave their lives, who sacrificed so much, who are here to even reflect on what they went through 80 years ago, I'm sure they can -- they could never have imagined that we're at this kind of crossroad today. And when you hear the President of the United States make reference to Ukraine and its fight against Russia as a microcosm of that, and that's how it starts, and that being a reference point on this 80-year anniversary, what is your hope of how this message today might be resonating to help reinforce an alliance, to maintain freedoms everywhere?

FAVREAU: Well, I would say two things. First of all, for certain, the historical lesson from the D-Day invasion is that it was not an America First invasion.

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It was a democracy first invasion. The forces that invaded France were a force of allies. It would not have been possible without a force of allies, the destruction of Hitler. The sheer amount of background negotiation and compromise that goes into a fight like this is really a big part of the story. So, I would say that. And second, I would say that I would take the President's observation about the present even further, and say that in our own country, inside the United States, the amount of compromise that has to happen, the amount of the number of alliances that have to come together to defeat the threats to democracy inside the United States, are going to be so important --

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

FAVREAU: -- in 2024 because there are so many disagreements among people on the side of democracy. And we have a real threat in 2024 inside the United States against democracy that that I think of those alliances internally as well and how important they will be this year.

WHITFIELD: And Marc, if you could stay with me too. We're looking at the arrival of President Biden's motorcade there. And soon, he and Jill Biden will be laying a wreath there at this hallowed ground. What are your thoughts today on even this symbolism too of this President who is the only living President who was born before this war began, and how his connection with this generation with that greatest generation of Veterans that we saw on stage that he shared that space with? I mean, there are some unique parallels.

FAVREAU: Oh, absolutely. It's incredibly moving. I get the sense of like history coming full circle, that his feet are in both places, quite literally, that his life spans this 80 year of arc in American history that have taken us from probably the most important moment in our democracy when we joined forces with other democracies to defeat the greatest threat to democracy the world has ever seen. And to see him in 2024 standing on that sacred space in an election year in the United States, when kind of democracy is on the ballot, I can't think of just a more kind of poignant and kind of meaningful moment in our history, and Biden absolutely embodies it. He is our hope for the future and he is our connection to the past.

WHITFIELD: Marc Favreau, what a pleasure talking to you, as we have in this program. We're going to continue to watch these live pictures of the President of the United States and the First Lady who will get out of their vehicles in that motorcade there at the American Cemetery there in Normandy hallowed ground. Our thanks for your viewership today, as we collectively honor these incredible men and women, past and present.

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